From Babylonstoren blog – If you still have not visited why deny yourself?

Free-roaming chickens can often be spotted scratching in the garden and plucking pesky bugs off our farm produce. We have five different types of chicken here at Babylonstoren – Boschvelders and Potch Koekoeks in the garden, as well as the Leghorns, Araucanas and Lohmann Browns that are looked after by farmer Christo. We collect their eggs daily to be served at Babeland the Greenhouse, and there’s always a fresh supply available to purchase at the Farm Shop. They never fail to charm our guests and make up a hard-working part of our farming staff.

Chickens are very easy to keep and play a host of helpful roles in the garden and kitchen: they’re fantastic at ridding your garden of insects and snails, and a small brood of about six chickens can lay enough eggs to feed a family of four to six people. Apart from their usefulness, there is something intrinsically therapeutic about keeping chickens – their determined busyness and gentle companionship make them perfect family pets in even smaller-sized gardens. Chicks take about six months to mature into laying hens, after which they will provide you with a steady supply of eggs and delightful company in the garden.

Has your household got a common understanding of what should actually happen when the alarm goes off? This morning we had another false alarm, and yes most times they are! Being a house where we have a few people at home most of the time, I considered this morning’s casual response as the alarm was switched off and how everyone just carried on about their business. Sooner or later we could pay a high price for that casual response of annoyance and irritation.

Do you have an agreed ALARM PROCEDURE that everyone in your household follows? Well I decided we need one and I am sharing ours. I have stuck it next to the alarm panel.

The alarm must automatically be treated as a SERIOUS MATTER and the following rules are to be followed:

1) Do not go outside to investigate alone!

2) Lock all doors and close all windows immediately! First close the doors and then close then windows INCLUDING the bathroom window and kitchen windows (ALL windows).

3) If I am not at home you need to observe from inside of the house and consider some good vantage spots where you can look out.

4) Do NOT turn off the alarm too soon and only turn off the alarm after doors and windows have been closed – the alarm will encourage an intruder to go not hand around but if you turn it off too soon it encourages them to stay! Reset the alarm immediately.

5) Only reopen doors and windows when it is obvious all is ok. If I am not at home then observe for at least 30 minutes before opening up windows and doors.

6) If anyone is observed then phone the emergency number 10111 and speak clearly telling them we have an intruder and the address – speak clearly and slowly.

7) Move out of less secure rooms (like a sunroom) into more secure rooms! It is generally considered best that the intruder sees people are at home and be seen speaking on the phone so he knows he has been seen and is being reported. Even if you have finished speaking keep “talking” on the phone so he thinks you are giving information! This will increase the chance of the intruder LEAVING.

8) It is probably better to open gates from inside the house (if you have remotes) so the intruder can get away and help can get inside.

9) Make sure everyone knows where torches and other security devices are kept IN ONE ACCESSIBLE PLACE.

Keep emergency numbers somewhere they are not moved! On the fridge or next to the phone and include other numbers you can also call such as neighbours!

Personalise these notes for your property and family and share extra comments and advice.

Amid the tumultuous environment of the property market over the last several years in South Africa, Cape Town has not only remained stable in house price inflation but shown significant growth thanks to foreign investors and migration from other provinces.

Data a research group, Lightstone, recently analysed data of several million properties in the Western Cape and pinned the annual inflation rate at just under 4.0%, with a monthly rate of 0.27%.

One of the most interesting findings, the group said, is how the value and volume of properties compares between Cape Town and Johannesburg.

During 2008 the rand experienced its most dismal period to date performing exceptionally low against its global counterparts and the property market experienced negative growth on a national scale.

“Annual property inflation experienced similar growth nationally over the next four years. After 2012 however, the Western Cape and the City of Cape Town became increasingly more attractive to potential buyers,” Lightstone said.

Looking at the most expensive suburbs in Cape Town, Bishopscourt is the most expensive with an average value of R17.1 million, followed by Llandudno, Constantia Heights, Clifton, Steenberg and De Bosch in Stellenbosch.

“With most property prices on the rise, first time buyers are looking at more affordable options in lower cost suburbs like Pelikan Park, Kayelitsha and Parklands,” Lightstone said.

Even though the forecast for the Cape Town property market remains stable for 2018, this could be subject to changes dependant on government’s planned land expropriation without compensation strategy, the group said.

“In the interim, the appetite for foreign investments in the Cape Town property market will provide the required strength within the industry; and the demand for secure estate living will continue where both freehold and sectional title should enjoy much needed growth.”

IN AND AROUND THE CAPE PENINSULA THE CITY’S MOST EXPENSIVE MARKETS CONTINUED TO SHOW THE CLEAREST SIGNS OF SLOWING PRICE GROWTH IN THE 1ST QUARTER. Atlantic Seaboard, has seen its price growth slow the fastest off the highest base, while in certain more affordable sub-regions of the City there has still been some growth acceleration.

In the 1st quarter of 2018, we saw further slowing in house price growth in the City Bowl and the other major 3 sub-regions closest to the City Bowl, i.e. in and around the Cape Peninsula.

These sub-regions near to the city and the mountain have shown some of the strongest house price inflation of all of the Cape Town sub-regions over the past 5 years, and this prior deterioration in home affordability appears to have led to slowing demand, and thus price growth, in recent quarters.

The most expensive sub-region in the City of Cape Town Metro, i.e. the Atlantic Seaboard, has seen its average house price growth slow the most sharply off the highest base, from a revised multi-year high of 27.5% year-on-year in the final quarter of 2016 to 2.3% by the 1st quarter of 2018.

This does not surprise us, as this sub-region has experienced the most rapid cumulative growth of all the sub-regions over the past 5 years, to the tune of 111%.

The City Bowl started its price growth slowdown a little earlier than the Atlantic Seaboard, and has gone from its revised multi-year year-on-year growth high of 23.6% in the 2nd quarter of 2016 to 10.0% by the 1st quarter of 2018.

The Southern Suburbs, the other one of the “most expensive 3” sub-regions, saw further slowdown from 10.1% in the prior quarter to 8.4% in the 1st quarter of 2018, having gradually slowed from a multi-year high of 16.1% in the 2nd quarter of 2015.

Arguably reflective of the heightened search for relative affordability in or near to Cape Town’s prime place of employment, the City Bowl, is the indication that the most affordable sub-region within close proximity to the City Bowl, i.e. the Near Eastern Suburbs sub-region (including amongst others Salt River, Woodstock and Pinelands), shows the fastest house price growth of these “Major 4” sub-regions in or near to the Cape Peninsula.

Proximity to the City Bowl (and for that matter to Claremont Business Node) is becoming increasingly important as the city’s traffic congestion deteriorates. From a 19.4% high in the 1st quarter of 2016, the Near Eastern Suburbs House Price Index has also seen year-on-year growth slowing, but less significantly than the others, to reach 13.4% by the 1st quarter of 2018. It now has the fastest price growth rate of the Major 4 sub-regions surrounding Table Mountain.

THE TREND OF SLOWING GROWTH IS LESS PRONOUNCED IN THE MORE AFFORDABLE SUBURBAN MARKETS, AND SOME SUB-REGIONS EVEN SHOW STRENGTHENING PRICE GROWTH.

Further away from Table Mountain, in Cape Town’s more affordable suburban areas, the pattern of “slowdown” in price growth remains less clear, and there has even been some acceleration in certain sub-regions. We remain of the belief that the extremely high prices in the areas close to the City Bowl may have been encouraging a portion of aspirant buyers to shift their home search to these more “affordable” City of Cape Town housing markets a little further away, in search of greater affordability.

All 3 major Northern Suburbs sub-saw double-digit average house price growth rates in the 1st quarter of 2018, with 1 out of the 3 showing a growth acceleration.

The Western Seaboard Sub-Region (including Blouberg, Milnerton and Melkbosstrand) saw a slowing in year-on-year price growth, from 14.7% in the previous quarter to 14.4% in the 1st quarter of 2018, the 2nd successive quarter of slowing growth.

The “Bellville-Parow and Surroundings” sub-region also saw its price growth slow, from 11.4% year-on-year in the final quarter of 2017 to 10.8% in the 1st quarter of 2018, after prior quarters of strengthening.

However, the Durbanville – Kraaifontein – Brackenfell sub-region continued to accelerate mildly, from 9.8% growth in the final quarter of 2017 to 10.1% in the 1st quarter of 2018.

Moving into even more affordable regions, ones which incorporate many of the city’s Apartheid Era former so-called “Coloured” and “Black” Areas, we have recently seen price growth accelerations.

This, too, we believe could reflect a mounting search for relative affordability after rapid price inflation in the higher priced “suburban” areas in recent years.

Therefore, we have seen the Cape Flats House Price Index experience a further growth acceleration, from 11.4% year-on-year in the previous quarter to 11.6% in the 1st quarter of 2018. The Elsies River-Blue Downs-Macassar Region has also seen house price growth accelerate further to reach 25% year-on-year, from 23.7% in the previous quarter.

CONCLUSION

In short, in the 1st quarter of 2018, the City of Cape Town has seen further mild slowing in average house price growth for the 7th consecutive quarter, although the most recent 10.0% year-on-year growth rate remains strong.

Whether you’re after a windswept coastal wander, a mountainous hike with spectacular views, or a leisurely amble through one of the Cape’s lush nature reserves, here’s our pick of the best hiking trails in and around the city. So, lace up your hiking boots and get cracking… And, let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Important note:Although the Cape is rich in natural beauty, tourists and locals are urged to take necessary precautions when exploring secluded areas, as crimes and accidents do happen.Those venturing into the Table Mountain National Park should have the following emergency numbers on hand: 086 110 6417/ 107 or 021 480 7700. Criminal incidents should be reported to the nearest police station as soon as able.We also recommend @safetymountain as a useful resource for hikers. This free safety tracking service allows you to notify local trackers of your contact details, intended route and travel time via whatsapp. You are then able to provide hourly updates on your progress, and to notify trackers when you are safely off the mountain.

It helps to have a map, and for that, SANParks and The Inside Guide recommends Slingsby Maps as an essential resource for hiking enthusiasts. Detailed maps of some of the Cape’s best hiking trails are available, including the Pipe Track, Cape Point and the Cederberg. Contact Slingsby Maps at 021 788 4545 for more information.

Mr Norval is a former South African amateur golf champion who in his “spare time” is a global investor with fine-art collections. One of his aims is to have them assembled for viewing in one place, hence the gallery and sculpture park.

The gallery would host exhibitions by local and international artists and would also house the large Norval Foundation private collection of contemporary art. The light, airy restaurant is named after South African artist and teacher Cecil Skotnes.

The restaurant opens onto a terrace and indigenous garden. A boardwalk winds around the building through the wetland and past sculpture installations, a children’s playground, vineyards and vistas of Silvermine and Constantiaberg.

There’s an outdoor amphitheatre that can seat about 110 people, and Ms Cronje said the gallery might be a venue for picnics and jazz concerts in future.

There are several exhibition spaces of different sizes but the most spectacular is to the north – a double floor of glazed window with views of Devil’s Peak and the back of Table Mountain.

Curator Karl Nel said two 6.7m sculptures of the Edoardo Villa Estate Collection, each weighing about seven tons, were installed on Friday April 13.

“It will be the first time they will be seen in public since the 1960s. Very few museums can take these artworks because of the weight.”

Behind the sculptures are photographs, by Egon Gunther, which are equal to them in size and part of the same collection.

The Norval Foundation is also the custodian of the Gerard Sekoto Foundation and the Alexis Preller Archive.

If you are moving home, getting a reliable property valuation is an essential step in the process.

A property valuation will give you an estimate of how much your house should be worth, based upon a number of different factors.

Even if you are not planning to move home straight away, house valuations remain an excellent tool to indicate a current market value and what improvements could be made should you want to potentially increase the value of your home without over capitalising.

By answering a few easy questions on the current condition of your home, our free property value calculator which uses the latest GIS (Geographic Information Systems) will give you an idea of how much money you could potentially make from the sale of your home.

Unique to Valuator we are also able to reference recent final property sales (selected Cape Town metropolitan areas) that have not yet been recorded in the Deeds Office which makes our report that much more current and reliable!

South Africa’s new plug and socket standard, SANS 164-2 or ZA Plug, has become mandatory for new installations, the SABS confirmed to MyBroadband.

This means that any new buildings erected must incorporate electrical sockets that conform to the new standard.

An amendment to the wiring code introduced in 2016 stated that the ZA Plug would become semi-mandatory for new installations in March 2018.

Each new plug point must have at least one socket that can accommodate a ZA Plug, it said.

The amendment came into effect two months early, said the SABS, and from January 2018 all new installations must incorporate the ZA Plug.

The ZA Plug has the same hexagonal profile as the Europlug seen on cell phone chargers but includes an earth pin. It is substantially more compact than South Africa’s three-prong plug standard and has much thinner pins.

Adoption of the standard has been slow, however.

Gianfranco Campetti, the chairman of the working group that looks after the standard, said the industry has been slow to respond and use the standard in essential products.

He said the appliance industry, in particular, has been slow to provide goods with the new plug.

The switch

When the IEC first began development on IEC–906–1, which became IEC60906–1, it was trying to establish a universal plug and socket system.

Despite its efforts, commercial and political interests caused the standardisation initiative to fail in Europe – and Brazil and South Africa are the only countries to have adopted the 250V standard.

However, Brazil deviated from the standard by delivering either 127V or 220V mains using the same socket.

Japan and the US have plugs and sockets that are compatible with the IEC’s envisioned global standard for 125V sockets.

Talk of adopting the new standard began in South Africa in 1993, and a version of SANS 164–2 that dates back to 2006 is available online.

According to the SABS, the ZA Plug appeared in South Africa’s wiring code (SANS 10142–1) during 2012.

Old standard still legal

Although it is now required to integrate sockets which comply with the ZA Plug standard in new buildings, the old standard remains legal.

The wiring code amendment also does not affect existing buildings, including homes.

It is therefore not currently necessary for South Africans to switch the electrical sockets in their homes.

Bramble is an online platform aimed at connecting students wanting to sell or buy textbooks, as well as physical and electronic notes. This not only allows students to earn an extra income, but it also makes the learning process a whole lot easier.

As students ourselves, we understand the real life of a student and we hope to give you more room for the good life, more time for studying and, most importantly, more money at the end of the month.

Your home or business is connected to the City’s water network through a water meter, which usually sits in a small chamber under the pavement outside your property. We read your water meter once a month to calculate your monthly water and sewerage use.

How the City reads your water meter

The meter is read by a different person each month. We take a meter reading using a handheld computer terminal that contains core information about the property, such as the erf number and the address.

If we cannot read your meter (due to your gate being locked or other circumstances) and you do not submit your water reading, your bill will be an estimate based on your previous water use. All cost estimates will be reversed, if necessary, when we get an actual reading.

DID YOU KNOW?Well-run City: Each year, we replace about 9 000 old or malfunctioning water meters.

You can help us get an accurate reading for your water meter by doing the following:

Make sure you know where your water meter is located.

Make sure it is not obstructed (e.g. by sand or weeds) and is easy to read.

Your water meter should be accessible to City officials at all times.

If your water meter is behind locked gates, or if dogs prevent the meter readers from taking a reading, you can submit the reading yourself (see below).

Alternatively, ask the City to relocate your meter to the outside of your house, via the City’s Service Requests application.

How to read your water meter

No matter the type of water meter, black numbers represent kilolitres and red numbers represent litres. As you are charged per kilolitre, only supply the black numbers when submitting your reading.

DID YOU KNOW?

Inclusive City: The City has installed free-call phones at some City facilities to allow you to make enquiries and request services at no cost.

Water and sanitation tariffs

All formal properties have water meters, which we use to read your water consumption and calculate your monthly bill. However, there are different tariffs for residences, businesses, and other organisations.

Understand the cost of water and sanitation in your home

Understand the cost of water and sanitation for your business or organisation

Report problems with your water meter

If your water meter is not being read regularly, is malfunctioning or needs to be relocated to outside of your property, please contact the City’s 24-hour call centre: